abal

Abala Goitom

Asmara, 1986

In Eritrea I worked as a furniture maker. I had no formal training for that job, I just learned by doing it in a company. I made coffee tables, wardrobes and dressers. Now, in the Netherlands, I mainly make traditional Eritrean coffee tables. Almost every Eritrean has a coffee table in their home, even if they don’t live in Eritrea. Coffee is important to Eritreans. It’s a ceremony; roasting and grinding the coffee beans and leaving the coffee on the fire for a long time in a round ceramic pot. I also make dining tables, TV cabinets and display cabinets for companies, all according to true Eritrean tradition and taste.